I see a lot of negative reviews for Crescent Dawn by the father and son team of Clive and Dirk Cussler. I heartily DISAGREE with the naysayers. If you have enjoyed any of the previous 21 Dirk Pitt adventures, you SHOULD enjoy this one as well.
Primarily set in the Middle East with brief interludes in Washington D.C. and Great Britain, Dirk Pitt and the rest of his family and NUMA cast of characters are confronted with two problems– one religious and one historical. The first involves the discovery of an ancient document called “The Manifest.” This is a list of cargo on a Roman ship that was shipwrecked on or near the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea in the first third of the fourth century. What is on the ship, and The Manifest, could have a mega negative effect on Christianity. There is a race to discover the relics of the Roman galley. There is a relationship to the explosion on board Lord Kitchener’s flagship that sank the ship during WWI.
The second problem is that the Middle East is suffering through a series of bombings of mosques in different countries. We know who and why this is happening: an election in Turkey is the cause of this terrorist activity. Pitt and company become involved when Dirk junior falls in love with an Israeli Antiquities agent. They find out about a plan to blow up the Temple Mount in Old Town Jerusalem which leads them to Turkey.
There are car chases, boat chases and mayhem throughout the story as the heroes try to stop the villains. What fun! I can recommend this Cussler/Pitt adventure without hesitation.
GO! BUY! READ!
–Jim Harris, retired book sales rep
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